Oklahoma campaign pushes for safe medication, sharps disposal

A new campaign in Oklahoma is focused on helping people safely dispose of medications and medical sharps.

Improper disposal

Improperly discarding medications and used medical sharps is putting Oklahoma communities at risk. With up to 60 million sharps generated annually across the state, throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the drain can harm sanitation workers and pollute waterways.

To address the issue, the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee (OMSDC), the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) are partnering on the Spring 2025 Safe Disposal Campaign. The effort promotes year-round options for discarding unwanted items and ramps up ahead of the DEA’s National Take-Back Day on April 26.

DEA Take-Back Day

While DEA Take-Back Day allows residents to turn in expired or unused medications at collection sites across the country, it does not accept sharps—such as needles, syringes or lancets. OMSDC’s campaign bridges that gap by promoting permanent drop-off locations statewide for both medicines and sharps.

Patrick Riley with the DEQ said sharps in the trash are not just an environmental hazard—they’re a safety issue.

“In addition to the public health and environmental risks, medical sharps that are thrown in the trash can pose a safety hazard to sanitation workers,” Riley said. “We know that safe collection sites are needed, and this program will demonstrate exactly how they can be operated.”

Safe options

Oklahomans looking for disposal options can visit oksafemeddisposal.org to use the interactive take-back map. The tool shows current drop-off locations throughout the state.

Community outreach

In addition to the map and website, OMSDC and its partners are distributing printed materials and launching targeted digital outreach. Pharmacies, health departments and local organizations are also playing a key role in promoting disposal options.

“Being able to offer several safe ways for our patients to dispose of sharps is vital to the public health of our reservation,” said Justin Wilcox, a pharmacist with the Choctaw Nation. “The program enhances the already existing programs so patients have several ways they can protect our community.”

How Oklahomans can get involved

Residents are encouraged to participate in DEA Take-Back Day on April 26 and use the state’s map year-round. Businesses, organizations and individuals can also help by sharing safe disposal messaging from OMSDC’s website and social media toolkit.

For more information or to find a nearby drop-off site, visit oksafemeddisposal.org.